Food & Wine

Nate, Nate, Nate. If anyone has had the year of all year's it's Nate Appleman: Nominated Rising Star Chef by the James Beard Foundation, Best New Chef for Food & Wine, and now opening an A16 in Tokyo this fall. All at age 30. I've also heard rumors that he might be the next Iron Chef. (But I might be the one that started this rumor.)

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and the most tried-and-true plans include dinner with a good bottle of wine. Who can resist a toast to love? Even before this latest wave of awareness for the virtues of eating and drinking organic food and beverages, European wine makers were producing wine made with organic grapes and didn’t even consider adding toxins.

It’s that time of year when we look back, and ahead, and make those New Year’s resolutions. Before the holidays, I asked everyone in the office to share their green resolutions for the New Year, and I expected a few sighs or some eye rolling, but everyone was forthcoming and enthusiastic about their do-good goals. (You can see the list here.)

A friend called me up the other day, and I immediately detected panic in her voice. “I have so much to do!” she said. “Are you done with your holiday shopping yet? What do you want me to get you? Why don’t YOU sound stressed?”

I’ve been invited to spend Thanksgiving with my boyfriend’s family and I want to make a good impression. I’m pretty proud of my apple pie recipe, which I’ve adapted from various cookbooks and I now make using organic flour, butter and sugar. Last year, one of the vendors at the farmers’ market recommended I use a blend of apples I hadn’t tried before and the results were great. So, I’ll make a pie.